Teaching Lab All Partners Report

2020-2021 Report

Background

In SY20-21, Teaching Lab administered online diagnostic and follow-up surveys of educators participating in Teaching Lab’s professional learning in order to measure growth and improvement in three different areas: 1) Educator Mindsets and Beliefs, 2) School Environment, and 3) Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge. There were 529 educators who completed the diagnostic survey, 161 educators who completed the follow-up survey, and 34 educators who completed both.

Summary of Results

Methodology and Presentation of Results

We have provided two types of results for each section: The results in the first three columns of the table refer to the overall group averages. We provide the group average for the diagnostic and follow-up surveys as well as the percentage point change (increase or decrease) over this time. It is important to note that the group that completed the diagnostic survey and the group that completed the follow-up survey are different in size. The results in the fourth column reflect the percentage of educators who improved their responses or sustained the highest level response from the diagnostic to follow-up survey. This group of educators is the same for both surveys and is smaller in size.

Section 1: Mindsets and Beliefs

Educators were asked a series of questions about their mindsets toward instruction and students on a 5-point Likert scale from 1- Strongly disagree to 5- Strongly agree. The questions focused on four core constructs surrounding mindsets and beliefs, specifically the recognition of race and culture, growth mindsets, high expectations, and taking accountability for equitable instruction.


1
Methodological note: Mindsets and Beliefs questions were scored in the following way: for positively coded items, “1” and “2” were worth 0 points, “3” was worth 1 point, and “4” and “5” were worth 2 points. This was reversed for negatively coded items where “4” and “5” were 0 points, “3” was 1 point, and “1” and “2” were 2 points. Educators were considered to have improved if their score on the follow-up survey was higher than that of the diagnostic survey. (e.g., they responded “4” on the diagnostic and “5” in the follow-up for positively coded items, they responded “4” on the diagnostic and “3” in the follow-up for negatively coded items). Educators who responded with the highest-level responses (“4” and “5” or “1” and “2”, depending on the item) on both the diagnostic and follow-up surveys were considered to have sustained equitable mindsets, growth mindsets, high expectations, and/or accountability for equitable instruction.

     

Educators’ Averages Scores on Equitable Mindsets and Beliefs, by Survey Administration
Average Scores on Equitable Mindsets & Beliefs
% of Educators that Improved or Sustained High Scores
Diagnostic Survey
Follow-up Survey
Percentage Point Change
Overall score 74% 75% 1 72%
Recognition of race & culture 44% 52% 8 53%
Holding growth mindsets 62% 63% 1 69%
Having high expectations and beliefs 97% 94% -3 81%
Taking accountability for equitable instruction 95% 96% 1 83%
n = 529 n = 161 n = 34

The plot illustrates educators’ average scores from the diagnostic and follow-up surveys, which corresponds to the information in the first three columns of the table. Orange represents the diagnostic scores, and blue represents the follow-up scores. The arrows represent the directionality, showing an increase or decrease in the average scores.

Section 2: School Environment

Educators were asked about their school environment, including culture and climate on a 5-point Likert scale from 1- Strongly disagree to 5- Strongly agree. Specifically, educators were asked about trust and connectedness to other educators, their role in shaping their own professional learning, and confidence in implementing the curriculum in a way that maximizes positive impact for student learning.


2
Methodological note: Educators were considered to have positive perceptions if they responded “4” or “5” on the scale. They were considered to have improved on an item if their response on the follow-up survey was at least one response higher than the diagnostic response (e.g., they responded “3” on the diagnostic and “4” on the follow-up). Educators who responded with the highest-level responses (“4” or “5”) on both the diagnostic and follow-up surveys were considered to have sustained positive perceptions.

     

Educators’ Perceptions of School Culture and Climate, by Survey Administration, by Survey Administration
% of Educators with Positive Perceptions of School Culture and Climate
% of Educators that Improved or Sustained Positive Perceptions
Diagnostic Survey
Follow-up Survey
Percentage Point Change
Overall score 66% 66% 1 62%
Trust in fellow teachers 83% 78% -5 65%
Connectedness to fellow teachers 76% 75% -1 76%
Have influence over professional learning 36% 37% 1 44%
I am confident that I am implementing the curriculum in a way that maximizes positive impact for student learning 67% 75% 8 62%
n = 424 n = 137 n = 29

The plot illustrates the shifts in educators’ reported culture and climate, which corresponds to the information in the first three columns of the table. Orange represents the percentage of educators with positive perceptions in the diagnostic survey, and blue represents the percentage in the follow-up survey. The arrows represent the directionality, showing an increase or decrease in the percent of educators who agreed or strongly agreed with the items.

Section 3: Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Educators were asked a series of questions about their knowledge of instructional shifts and evidence-based instructional practices in their content area.

Section 3a: ELA Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge

In ELA, the questions focused on seven core constructs, as shown in the table.

Educators’ Average Scores on ELA Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge, by Survey Administration
Average Scores of Educators with ELA Content & Pedagogical Content Knowledge
% of Educators that Improved or Sustained High Scores
Diagnostic Survey
Follow-up Survey
Percentage Point Change
Overall score 59% 64% 6 22%
ELA instructional shifts 51% 58% 7 22%
Fluency 52% 54% 1 15%
Text complexity 58% 72% 14 25%
Close reading 67% 69% 3 22%
Building knowledge 53% 59% 7 22%
Supporting students with unfinished learning 67% 71% 4 24%
n = 394 n = 91 n = 10

The plot illustrates the shift in educators’ average scores for ELA content and pedagogical content knowledge, which corresponds to the information in the first three columns of the table. Orange represents the diagnostic scores, and blue represents the follow-up scores. The arrows represent the directionality, showing an increase or decrease of average scores.

Section 3b: Math Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge

In Mathematics, the questions focused on four core constructs, as shown in the table.

Educators’ Average Scores on Math Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge, by Survey Administration
Average Scores of Educators with Math Content & Pedagogical Content Knowledge
% of Educators that Improved or Sustained
Diagnostic Survey
Follow-up Survey
Percentage Point Change
Overall score 60% 67% 7 46%
Math instructional shifts 53% 57% 5 42%
Equitable Math Instruction 72% 81% 9 53%
Supporting students with unfinished learning 64% 75% 11 53%
Effective Teaching Practices 55% 60% 5 41%
n = 125 n = 69 n = 24

The plot illustrates the shift in educators’ average scores for Math content and pedagogical content knowledge, which corresponds to the information in the first three columns of the table. Orange represents the diagnostic scores, and blue represents the follow-up scores. The arrows represent the directionality, showing an increase or decrease of average scores.

Section 4: Teacher Observations by Administrators

Coaches, leaders, and/or administrators were asked about the areas they focus on when observing teachers in general and also whether they observe differences in teaching practices between teachers who have participated in Teaching Lab professional learning and teachers who have not.

First, coaches, leaders, and/or administrators were asked whether they focus on the following areas when observing teachers: The lesson is focused on a high-quality text or task. The questions and tasks address the analytical thinking required by the grade-level standards. All students have opportunities to engage in the work of the lesson.

Observation Practices of Coaches, Leaders, and Administrators, by Survey Administration, by Survey Administration
% of Coaches, Leaders, and Administrators who Agreed or Strongly Agreed
% of Educators that Improved or Sustained
Diagnostic Survey
Follow-up Survey
Percentage Point Change
When observing teachers, I focus on… 91% 83% -7 9%
Whether the lesson is focused on a high-quality text or task 89% 83% -6 9%
Whether the questions and tasks address the analytical thinking required by the grade-level standards 89% 79% -10 9%
Whether all students have opportunities to engage in the work of the lesson 94% 88% -6 9%
n = 105 n = 24 n = 5

The plot illustrates the shifts in coaches, leaders, and/or administrators’ reported observation practices, which corresponds to the information in the first three columns of the table. Orange represents the percentage who always or almost always focus on these aspects in the diagnostic survey, and blue represents the percentage in the follow-up survey. The arrows represent the directionality, showing an increase or decrease in the percent of educators who always or almost always focus on these aspects.

Coaches, leaders, and/or administrators were also asked to compare teaching practices between Teaching Lab participants and non-Teaching Lab participants in the follow-up survey. They were asked about the same three areas above.

Differences in Teaching Practices between Teaching Lab Participants and Non-participants, as Reported by Coaches, Leaders, and Administrators
TL Teachers1 Non-TL Teachers1
The lesson is focused on a high-quality text or task 88% 42%
The questions and tasks address the analytical thinking required by the grade-level standards 67% 17%
All students have opportunities to engage in the work of the lesson 67% 29%

1 n = 24

The graph illustrates the differences in teaching practices between teachers who have participated in Teaching Lab professional learning and teachers who have not, as reported by the coaches, leaders, and/or administrators.

Section 5: Lab Leaders

Lab Leaders were asked about their engagement in different activities, such as leading professional learning, leading PLC meetings, coaching teachers, sharing information and resources, and improving their own instructional practices.

% of Lab Leaders who engaged in the activity1
Improved my own instructional practice 33%
Led PLC meetings for teachers 17%
Coached teachers 50%
Shared information or resources with teachers 50%

1 n = 12

The graph below illustrates the Lab Leaders participation in different activities.

Section 6: Student Work

Student work has been analyzed to see if there was a difference in outcomes following the implementation of professional learning. The following figures illustrate that difference.

Section 7: Participant Feedback

Looking at participant feedback from All Partners we see good scores across the board:

Teaching Lab Performance on Participant Feedback Questions for All Partners
How Likely Are You To Apply This Learning To Your Practice In The Next 4-6 Weeks? I felt a sense of community with the other participants in this course even though we were meeting virtually. This course helped me navigate remote and/or hybrid learning during COVID-19. % Who Say Activities Of Today's Session Were Well-Designed To Help Me Learn S/He Effectively Built A Community Of Learners
89% 90% 67% 68% 91%

Finally, looking at the textual feedback from participants we also see a lot of positive feedback, even when people are giving tips for improvement

Comments on what Went Well
Quotes from "Overall, what went well in this professional learning?"

"The discussion among my peers and being able to hear from
different grade levels."

"I appreciate the asynchronous learning opportunities that
allowed us to be off zoom for periods of time."

"I felt that it followed naturally and that each session
built on the previous one."

"Facilitator providing the information that is retained
because of the thoughtful tasks and activities."

"I like learning about the new math strategies. I would
have never been exposed to this new concepts and ideas if I
wasn't a part of this process."

"I appreciate the conversations and planning time with my
team and with others. It allows me to continue to push my
thinking."

"Whole group/ small group work time. Sharing out the chat
pieces within the discussion."

"I loved learning about this new idea of accelerated
learning. I also enjoyed the time that was given to look at
our current curriculum, and kind of "map out" an idea of how
we are supposed to implement this technique of accelerated
learning, as we plan."

"The opportunity to participate in a community of educators
and learn from each other."

"The facilitators are wonderful. They created a safe space
where I felt I could share my feelings about a topic without
any judgement. It was also great to be reminded of the
importance of student discourse."

Comments on Improving Experience
Quotes from "What could have improved your experience?"

"I was not able to register myself - so the Assistant
Principal registered me. Unfortunately - the information
given was incorrect and by the time I was able to go on the
Teaching Lab many of my assignments were late. I know there
was no penalty and this was just a personal issue for me -
lol Other than that I really enjoyed learning all that the
EL Curriculum has to offer the teachers and students. Thank
You!"

"The coursework on the site had a confusing layout and was
not super easy to navigate. I often had to go back several
times to make sure I didn't skip anything."

"I hope we can reconvene sometime next year, in person, to
catch up with everyone. There is such a wealth of knowledge
in this group."

"Nothing you can control- having another team member from my
organization would have been great."

"Sometimes it was a little confusing figuring out how to
complete and turn in assignments on the platform."

"There's never enough time...I wish we had more time to
discuss our reflections in our breakout rooms."

"I struggle with having enough time to complete the
asynchronous work in a way that allows me time to deeply
think about the materials and/or readings. This has been
since day 1 and I thought I would just get quicker, but I
did not. Typically, I finish the work with 7 minutes for
lunch. I thought you might like some feedback for cohort 2"

"minimizing distractions around me to focus better on the
conversation happening in all the sessions"

"I really stayed focused and only answered email and text
when we first went into Asynchronous learning -- and I
still did not get time to eat lunch (I even set a timer for
each section and moved on -- so I either took too much time
answering emails/text AND/OR did too much between sections)"

"Once completing an activity - even opening a document - the
little check box be checked."

Additional Comments
Quotes from "Do you have additional comments?"

"In general, I don't think I fully understood the inquiry
cycle progression until day 4 or 5. Today's reflect helped
put it all into perspective."

"I worked all summer to learn the ins and outs of the program
and this class made it come alive. It is also frustrating
that I will not be developing this with the K-4 staff but
will actually return to 20 years ago by teaching grade 7. I
wonder if I should try to institute this on my own."

"Justin and Ryan were patient, accommodating, knowledgeable,
and made this course accessible. They were well prepared
each time and never let us get off course."

"I appreciate everything that you a doing to help us do our
job effectively with teachers."

"I hope we can get an additional follow up training in the
spring just to see how we all are doing. I know it's wishful
thinking. But I would really appreciate it (with the same
instructors)."

"I really enjoyed the course. It has helped to build my
confidence in helping my students to learn."

"I appreciate this time, as it loads my coaching tool box.
At this time it's just really hard to engage teachers, but
what Nicole, Renee, and Lindsey said; something like, what's
the small thing we can do to relieve the stress steered also
towards pushing teachers to best practice? This is a good
mindset and I thank you for your support!"

"You did a great job with this course! Thank you for
providing this opportunity as it certainly will help me in
my teaching and coaching roles."

"Great experience to learn about the EL curriculum vision and
mission to support teachers and engage scholars."

"Would love to see a bank of short videos on the Schoology
site that could be used with teachers. It takes so long
to find good, strong video examples. Thanks for all of the
resources you have already shared through this series."


  1. Methodological Note 1↩︎

  2. Methodological Note 2↩︎

 

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